Back box, socket box, wall box, device box, mounting box, Gerätedose, inbouwdoos — these terms almost all describe the same category of product: a box set into or onto a wall to hold an electrical device, socket or switch, and to carry the wiring behind it. The differences between them are mostly about which country’s installation tradition is talking, not about a different physical product. What actually changes from market to market isn’t the name — it’s the dimensions and fixing pattern behind it, which is a separate question covered in Why Flush Mounting Box Dimensions Are Not Standard Across Europe.
Why the same product has so many names
Electrical installation practice developed independently in each European country for most of the last century, alongside separate national device systems, wiring regulations and trade vocabularies. By the time products and suppliers started crossing borders more freely, the terminology had already set. English-language markets kept “back box,” “socket box” or “mounting box” depending on the trade and the specific fixing style. German-speaking markets use “Gerätedose” (literally “device box”) or, for a box set into a hollow wall rather than solid masonry, “Hohlwanddose.” Dutch uses “inbouwdoos” (literally “built-in box”).
None of this is a sign of different products. It’s a sign that installation electricians in each country learned the trade, and the vocabulary, locally.
What changes and what doesn’t across these names
What doesn’t change: the basic job of the box — hold the device, carry the wiring, sit flush or set into the wall so the cover plate closes cleanly.
What does change, and what actually matters when you’re buying: the outer diameter, depth, centre distance and inlet layout that the local device system and wall construction expect. Two boxes that both answer to “back box” in English can still be the wrong dimensions for each other’s market. The name tells you the category; it does not tell you the fit.
A quick lookup table
| Term | Language / region | What it usually refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Back box | English (general) | A box mounted in or on a wall behind a socket, switch or device |
| Socket box | English (general, common in retail/trade use) | Same category, often used when the box is specifically for a socket outlet |
| Device box | English (general/technical) | Same category, neutral term used across device types |
| Wall box / Mounting box | English (general) | Same category, emphasising the mounting method |
| Gerätedose | German | Literally “device box” — same category |
| Hohlwanddose | German | Specifically a box for a hollow (stud/board) wall, as opposed to solid masonry |
| Inbouwdoos | Dutch | Literally “built-in box” — same category |
A related note on “BULO”
One fixing-accessory name worth knowing separately: “BULO” is a plastic bracket accessory moulded into the base of certain concrete-box models to let the box be clipped to a bracket during casting, associated specifically with Finnish-market installation convention. It’s a fixing-accessory name, not a general term for the product category, and shouldn’t be used interchangeably with the terms above.
Why this matters before you search or specify
If you’re sourcing for a specific market, searching only in English risks missing the product entirely — a supplier’s own site, a distributor’s catalogue or a local standard document may only use the local term. Conversely, if a supplier’s product is only described in English, a local buyer searching in their own language may not find it even though it’s the right product. Knowing the terminology map in both directions is a small thing that removes a real source of missed matches.
What we do differently
We list our range under the terminology that English-language B2B buyers search with, and we’re direct about where local naming and local dimensions diverge — because a buyer who finds us under the right name still needs the right size. When you’re not sure whether what you’re looking at matches what’s called for in your market, send us the term you started from and we’ll confirm the category and the fit together.